1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to electrical connectors, and in particular, to a compliant, scalable, thermal-electrical-mechanical reconnectable and remountable electrical connector constructed on a flexible carrier.
2. Background of the Invention
Conventional electrical connectors used to connect components such as printed circuit boards are fabricated using a wide variety of techniques. A common approach is to use stamped metal springs, which are formed and then individually inserted into an insulating carrier to form an array of electrical connection elements. The insulating carrier is typically made of a rigid electrically non-conductive material. Other approaches to making electrical connectors include using anisotropically conductive adhesives, injection molded conductive adhesives, bundled wire conductive elements, and small solid pieces of metal typically in a rigid carrier.
Two dimension flex circuits are readily available and well known in the electronics industry. For example, common applications in which flex circuits can be utilized are cell phones, board to board, and flat panel displays.
Flex circuitry is typically used to transport low and high-speed signals within the flexible carrier material. To access internal signals one must connect to them through a series of vias or by surface mount pads and/or connectors.
As system density and performance have increased, so have the stringent specifications for interconnections. One way high electrical performance is manifested is in improved thermal characteristics and signal integrity. This can be accomplished by designing the interconnections such that they allow thermal planes or materials to be designed directly into the interposer or carrier. These features can then be directly connected to the contact elements. A similar argument can be given for the addition of other circuitry and or discretes placed directly on or embedded internally to the interposer.